Eclipse
by RailnElias
Summary: What is reincarnation? Is it a cage that we are locked in by fate? Or is it the eternal opportunity for hope? In this tale, I plan to explore these questions as well as the relationships between the characters. It is meant to be a retelling that stays more or less true to the cannon, but with some twists.
1. Chapter 1

**Book 1: Jaedite**

**Prologue**

**The Crash**

August third, ten years ago:

Mamoru sat in the back seat of his parents' blue station wagon, his forehead against the window glass. Numbly, he watched the blurry texture of the passing concrete while his parents yelled at each other in the front seats. He wondered if they even remembered that he was in the car with them.

They argued all the time now. Ever since they moved to Tokyo.

Before, they lived with Grandpa in a small town in the mountains. He was the only grandparent Mamoru knew. Grandmother died before he was born, and Father was an orphan. But that spring Grandpa died and everything started to change. Mamoru didn't know what an estate was or why it meant they had to sell everything and move, but he was beginning to think that it meant everything was going to be bad forever.

Father went to the city before them to get a new job. There was a long, confusing time where Mother cried a lot and they had to pick out the stuff they got to keep. In the end it all fit into the car, but Mamoru had to ride in the front seat.

Only two weeks ago, Mamoru and Mother arrived in the city. Mamoru was excited at first. It was so huge and so different from the country. Instead of a house, they got to live in an apartment. It was like a hundred houses all stuck together. They got to ride an elevator to go in and out and the balcony was like a porch way up in the air. Mother didn't like the apartment though. She and Father fought about it half the night when they got there. It was the first time Mamoru heard them yell at each other.

The very next day, Mother started looking for a job. She said, once school started, she would go to work like father. Mamoru wasn't sure what all that meant, except that she and Father would fight about it a lot so it couldn't be a good thing. It seemed to Mamoru that every new thing that happened was bad somehow. It made him afraid to go to school.

Just last night, Father came home and told him that they would go out to dinner for his birthday. When asked what they should eat, Mamoru answered with his favorite food; spaghetti. But Mother seemed worried about it. She kept asking if they could afford it. She was still asking that now, but at the top of her lungs while father yelled back that she should let him make that decision.

Then Mother screamed.

Father screamed.

The car's tires screamed and a loud horn blared.

Mamoru's head hit the glass and everything went black.

**Fiore**

He woke in a strange place.

He was confused and in pain and there were strange sounds all around. He couldn't sit up. His left arm was numb and he couldn't move it.

He lifted his head and looked around. He couldn't remember anything. Not even his own name. He didn't know where he was, and he didn't know where he was supposed to be. Thinking hurt. Holding his head up was hurting him more so he laid it back down. Alone, but too afraid to call out, he closed his eyes and cried.

A small voice asked, "Why are you crying?"

Timidly, he opened his eyes and looked to see a boy his age with long blonde hair standing in the doorway. He looked sickly pale, and had a lollipop in his hand.

He answered, "I'm scared."

The pale boy asked, "Are you all by yourself?"

He tried not to cry again and answered, "Yes…"

The boy came over and extended the lolli. "I'll be your friend." He said gently. "My name is Fiore."

He took the proffered candy with his good hand and replied, "I don't know my name."

Fiore said, "Okay. I'll call you Momo. Like Momo Taro!" Fiore had a sweet smile to match his lavender eyes.

"Thank you." Momo said with a little smile of his own, not wanting to admit he didn't know who Fiore was talking about. Then he asked, "Where are we?"

Fiore climbed up onto the chair beside the bed. "In the hospital." He answered, kicking his legs. Momo noticed that they were spotted with bruises.

"Are you sick?" Momo asked of Fiore.

Fiore nodded. "All the time. No one knows why. They're always taking my blood. Then they give me a sucker."

"I'm sorry." Momo murmured and tried to hand the candy back. Fiore refused to take it with a shake of his head.

"Hm-mm. You can keep it," He said with a grin, "I have something better."

"What?" Momo asked, all confused.

Fiore took Momo's hand in his own. "I have a friend."

**The Rose**

Momo was in the hospital for more than a week.

The doctors and nurses who cared for him called him Mamoru. They said that he had broken bones and a concussion. They also told him that he and his parents were in an accident and this is how he got hurt.

Another man came to see him who said he was a counselor, not a doctor. He said Momo's parents died and he asked him if that made him sad. He told the man, "I am sad they died" but he didn't know how to say it was like telling him two strangers had died. He believed that the counselor was telling the truth, but he didn't know the people that the man was talking about.

The only good thing about that time was Fiore. He came to see Momo every day. Momo couldn't get up to play, but Fiore told him the best stories. He made up fantastic tales about far away worlds filled with talking animals and dancing daisies.

By the ninth day that Momo was in the hospital, he was able to sit up and play games with Fiore. All they had were checkers and chess, but when the games got boring, Fiore made up stories about the chess pieces to make Momo laugh.

"I like your eyes." Fiore told Momo at random.

Momo stopped giggling and became shy. "Why?" he asked.

Fiore smiled his sweet smile and said, "They're blue, like the sky here. I like it."

Momo's cheeks turned pink and he said, "Thank you." Not knowing what else to say, he went with, "Is blue your favorite color? It is mine."

Fiore giggled lightly and said, "It is now."

Later that day, the counselor came back. He told Momo that it would be time to go home soon.

Momo could not hide his horror at the announcement. "Why?" was all he said.

The counselor was flustered. "What do you mean, 'why'? You don't want to stay here forever, do you?"

Momo looked away. "My friend is here," He said.

The counselor laughed. "Well, your friend can come see you in your new home."

Still looking away, Momo started to cry.

"What is the matter, Mamoru?" the counselor asked, sitting on the chair next to the bed.

"My name is MOMO!" he yelled back. Then he flopped down and closed his eyes. "Leave me alone," he sobbed.

The counselor quietly left the room.

Outside the room, a man and a little girl were passing by. The little girl peeked into the room and asked the counselor, "Why is he crying?"

The counselor replied, "Because he is sad."

Her father tugged on her hand and said, "Come now, Usagi…"

The little girl hesitated, then snatched a bright red rose from the bouquet her father was holding. She ran into the room and hopped right up into the chair. "Here!" she said, offering the flower. "Don't be sad, okay!"

Momo opened his eyes and looked at the little girl. He couldn't help but smile. He took the flower and said, "Thank you."

She just giggled and hopped out of the chair, running back to her father. "Okay, Bye-bye!" She called, waving, as her father led her away.

Momo could hear her father telling her, "That was very nice of you, Usagi…"

The counselor quietly closed the door.

**Departure**

By evening on that same day, Fiore still had not come to see Momo.

Worried, Momo asked the nurse who brought him dinner about Fiore.

"Fiore? I don't think I know him," she replied. "But I'm sure he'll come to see you as soon as he can." She followed with a smile.

Momo smiled back, but continued to worry.

As he slowly ate his dinner, the door opened and Fiore came in. He looked very tired.

"Fiore!" Momo cheered, "I'm so glad to see you!"

Fiore smiled at his friend, but it was a sad smile. "I have to go," he said.

Fear struck Momo's heart. "Go? Go where?"

"Home," said Fiore. "I can't get better until I do."

Momo didn't know what to say to that. He wanted his friend to get better, but he didn't want him to go away. He squeezed his eyes shut while his hands made fists in his lap.

_I have to go…_

Fiore's soft hands touched his. He opened his eyes and looked into those of his treasured friend who said, "Don't be sad," with such a gentle smile. "Look, I have a present for you."

"Another sucker?" Momo guessed.

Fiore giggled, "Yep! How'd you know?" He said as he handed over the glossy red candy.

Momo smiled. He couldn't help it, but his lips and hands trembled. He didn't have anything to give back. His eyes went to the rose from earlier.

_Don't be sad…_

Momo grabbed the rose from the bedside table and thrust it at Fiore. "Here!" It was all he could manage to get out before sobbing. He didn't know what else to say anyway.

Fiore's sweet smile bloomed ever wider. "What a pretty flower! Thank you, Momo. One day, when I come back, I'll bring you a whole bunch of flowers. I promise."

_Goodbye._

**Chapter 1**

**His Dream**

The castle floated in the darkness above the stars. Fluted columns and flying arches gleamed in the pale light like porcelain. Luminescent, it shone like the moon.

He was flying toward it, but not on his own wings. He was being pulled, drawn there by an unseen force. His anticipation for arriving was mixed. Something wonderful awaited him, but he was afraid.

Something terrible was going to happen.

He touched down gently on the alabaster walkway. He looked both ways, left and right, but saw no one. He began to walk toward the palace. His feet made hollow echoing sounds on the smooth stone.

_Tap tap tap_. The walkway seemed to go on forever.

He looked to the entrance before him. It seemed so far away, but he realized he could make out a figure there. She was as pale and gleaming as the place itself.

The Princess of the Moon.

He ran to her and took her outstretched hand in his. He kissed her palm and folded her fingers over. Her petal-soft skin smelled like roses.

Suddenly pain shot through his body and the princess let out a scream. She vanished in a splash of crimson, crying out as she did:

"_The Silver Crystal! Find the Silver Crystal!_"

**First Encounter**

Mamoru wasn't quite aware of his surroundings as he hustled down the sidewalk, face buried in a book on applied physics.

He'd been studying the book obsessively for the past week, particularly the chapter on Pyroelectric Fusion. His current theory on the nature of the 'Silver Crystal' in his dream was that it might be a form of crystallic energy. Perhaps his subconscious was driving him on to some scientific breakthrough.

He had read the chapter front and back and front again, but he read it once more as he was on his way to Crown Arcade to pick up his friend Motoki for dinner.

He was stubbornly ignoring the fact that it is unwise to walk anywhere while reading, let alone on a crowded downtown street at four o'clock in the afternoon. He had already ran into an elderly couple, and nearly bowled over some gradeschoolers. It was only a matter of time until he ran into someone his own size, as it were.

"_...__scientists used a pyroelectric crystal, heated from __negative thirty-four to seven degrees celcius__, __along__ with a tungsten needle..._"

_Bump_.

"Ow! Hey, what gives?!"

"Sorry." Mamoru mumbled, unphased, and continued to walk.

"You better be—Hey! Come back here and make a real apology!"

Mamoru did not respond, if he heard her at all.

That's when something struck him on the back of the head.

...

"Uuuugh, this is the worst day of my life…" Usagi moaned, to no one in particular, as she plodded along the sidewalk.

Okay, so it wasn't the _worst_ day, but it was pretty bad. She had left late for school and tripped over a stray cat while running to catch up. She had painful scrapes on her knees from that. Once she got to school, her first period teacher made her stand in the hall as punishment for being so late. She missed breakfast, forgot her lunch, and was going to be late for dinner because she had to stay for detention. In fact, she might be denied dinner completely when her mother got a look at that week's English test.

"Miss Haruna is so mean…" Usagi whined, as she unfolded the paper and looked again at all of the red marks. "I know this score is bad but, did she have to write it like that?" she continued to complain. The top of the test was marked with a large red '30%', which was circled three times and accompanied by a frowny-face. Usagi gave a defeated sigh. "Mom is going to kill me."

With a feral growl of frustration, Usagi wadded the paper into a tight ball. She stood there, on the busy sidewalk, and spied a green trash receptacle on the corner. She seriously considered throwing the test away and just telling her mom that she lost it. It wouldn't be a total lie…

That's when some guy plowed into her with his elbow. "Ow!" She exclaimed in surprise. He was so tall, he hit her in the shoulder. Any taller, and she would have had a black eye! "Hey, What gives?!"

The guy mumbled something that sounded like "Sorry…"

"You better be," she started to say, but he just kept walking and didn't even look back. Unbelievable! "Hey! Come back here and make a real apology!" She yelled and, on an impulse, threw the paper she had in her hand at his head. She scored a direct hit.

That stopped him in his tracks.

He turned around and fixed his ice-blue eyes on her. His glare was so cold, she got chills. He looked down at the paper on the ground and stooped to pick it up. His glance went between her and the trashcan and he said, "You missed."

Usagi couldn't respond right away, her breath had been taken away. He was quite good-looking, despite the funny way his shiny black hair parted over his right brow, but it was how familiar he seemed that really caught her off-guard. It was like she knew him intimately, but she didn't even know his name.

...

Mamoru couldn't stop staring at the girl before him. She was not particularly beautiful. In fact, she was short and a bit on the heavy side. She had plain, straight yellow hair pulled up into a bun that came short of looking mature and went for adorable instead. There was something about her warm blue eyes, however, that made him pause. He stared into them, and she stared back at him, for way too long. So long, it became awkward.

To escape, he forced his gaze down, to the paper he had in his hand. "What is this?" He blurted absently, curiosity causing him to un-wad it. He couldn't help but notice her soft pink cheeks darkening to the color of a ripe peach as he did.

"H—Hey, don't look at that!" She exclaimed, but too late. He had already seen the butchered English and angry red slashes that made up the gory massacre of the test.

He looked at her with genuine concern and said, "Thirty percent? You need to study harder, bun-head."

Her eyes widened and her face flushed fully. On reflection, it was incredibly rude to say it that way, but sometimes words just fell out of his mouth unfiltered. He felt bad, but before he could attempt to retract it, she snatched the paper out of his hand screaming, "Jerk!" Her pink lips were trembling and her eyes glittered with tears as she ran away, down the sidewalk.

**The Game**

Usagi ran all the way to the corner of 31st and the parkway. The way home was to turn right on 31st and head into the residential district. But on the corner was Crown Arcade, a place where Usagi often lost time on her way home. Bruised as she was, she didn't even try to resist the urge to go inside and hide for a while.

First, she made her way to the restroom, all the way in the back. She knocked to make sure no one was in there, then went in and locked the door. She splashed cold water from the tap onto her eyes, to try and wash away some of the redness, then patted her face dry on a paper towel. Next, she pulled the jeweled pin out of her bun and ran her fingers through her hair a few times before twisting it back up and pinning it in place. Finally, she refreshed her lip gloss.

Feeling much better about herself, she opened her school bag and checked her wallet. It was a Thursday night, and her allowance was already stretched thin, but she had enough to play at least once.

Usagi left the restroom and looked over the forest of arcade machines. She wasn't looking for any game in particular, she'd played them all at some point, but an unfamiliar tune caught her ear. She cast her gaze around, and saw a machine she didn't recognize in the darkest back corner of the room.

In a room full of arcade machines that spanned over four decades of technology, it was totally unremarkable. It was a classic upright cabinet with a joystick and buttons for one player. The banner over the screen read, 'Crime Fighter Sailor V!' in gold and pink letters.

"I didn't know they made a Sailor V game…" she murmured aloud, as she took a slow step toward it. Then she cheered, "Cool!" and bounced over to the machine.

The intro animation was just replaying as she approached. She read aloud to herself as it scrolled by, "'_You are the Legendary Crime Fighter, SAILOR V! __Advance through the tough streets, defeat evil, and c__laim__ the Great Prize in the END!' _Sweet! It only costs a quarter!"

Usagi inserted a coin and pressed the 'Start P1' button. An introduction flashed on the screen, labeling the buttons on the console as _shoot_, _kick_, _jump_ and _special_. A few combos followed. "Yeah, yeah, I get it!" Usagi urged, "Let's get started already!"

The screen changed and Sailor V's tiny sprite appeared on the screen, already confronted with several hulking badguys. "Woah! Shoot, shoot, shoot!" Usagi cried, mashing buttons. A flat tune from the game heralded Sailor V's defeat.

"Geez! How high is the difficulty set on this thing?!" Usagi yelled indignantly as she pounded on the console with her fist. "Alright then..." She inserted another quarter and hit _start_.

This time, she managed to beat one of the four villains before she was KO-ed and the _game over_ screen had a tip on it: '_Use combos to charge up your special'_.

Usagi was already fighting back tears of frustration, which was against the point of coming in. She sniffled and turned away. There was a moment of silence from the game and then she could swear she heard a tiny voice saying, "_Don't give up!_"

She spun around, but the game was back to playing its cheerful tune, the intro screen scrolling by. She looked down at the one quarter left in her hand. "Okay..."

_Start_. Shoot. Shoot. Jump to avoid thrown daggers. Kick-kick-kick-'_Sailor V KICK!'_

The combo took down three of the badguys at once and Sailor V's sprite changed. She had a golden glowing aura and a crescent on her forehead. Usagi's gamer instincts told her it was time to use her special so she pressed the button. "Moon Crescent Beam!" Sailor V cried and a golden beam wider than the sprite was tall annihilated the remaining badguy. Sailor V's sprite jumped up and down with joy as the words '_Level 1 Clear!_' appeared on the screen.

"Woo-hoo!" Usagi cheered as she jumped up and down. "Yay! Take take that, game!"

A tall youth with feathery blonde hair approached. "Hey, Usagi!" he greeted her. "I didn't see you come in."

"Look Motoki! I beat Level One!" Usagi cheered, bouncing in place.

"Nice!" He replied, "That game's really tough, no one has a high score on it yet. Good job, Usagi! Go for Level Two!" Motoki was always encouraging her to play further. It was his job, as the 'game warden', but Usagi liked to think it was also because he had a crush on her.

The game was also urging her to '_Insert coin to continue!_' but she shook her head. "I'm all out of money." she said, still smiling. Then her smile vanished.

"What are _you_ doing here?!" she shouted at the other young man who had come up behind Motoki. It was the same guy who had run into her on the sidewalk.

"Oh? Do you two know each other?" Motoki asked, puzzled.

Usagi was quick to respond with, "Yeah! This creep tried to plow me down, then made fun of me in front of everyone on the parkway!" She was tearing up all over again.

Motoki turned to the young man in question and said, "Mamoru!"

Mamoru responded with ire, "You believe that?!"

Motoki answered awkwardly, "Well, you are sort of in a mood…"

Mamoru snorted angrily. "Whatever, buy your own dinner…" he muttered, and turned to walk away.

**Pizza**

Mamoru did not want to have anything more to do with that girl. She made him uncomfortable. It was as if he couldn't stop staring at her, even though all he did was try not to, and he was afraid that it showed.

Frankly, the fact that Motoki was taking her side stung a little. Mamoru had no idea that his friend even knew this girl, let alone that he was into her. At least, that was the assumption that Mamoru was making.

Mamoru was already heading out the front door of the arcade when Motoki caught up with him. "Hey! Mamoru, I'm talking to you, stop!" He stopped walking and turned to face his friend.

"Geez!" Motoki exclaimed. "Give me a minute, will you? Why are you in such a bad mood, anyway?" he was still shrugging on his jacket and juggling his schoolbag.

Mamoru sighed impatiently. "Sorry," he replied, "I haven't been sleeping well."

Motoki nodded. "Ah. Bad dreams again?"

Mamoru nodded in turn. "Always." he responded. He had told Motoki about the dreams when they were younger and the dreams were more vague and infrequent. He hadn't updated his friend on just how disturbing they had become or that he had them nearly every night now. Motoki always acted like he understood Mamoru's feelings, and was super supportive, but for some reason Mamoru kept him at a slight distance.

For a change of subject, Mamoru asked, "Where do you want to go to eat? It's your turn to pick." knowing that Motoki would pick pizza. It was always pizza.

"Oh! There's this new place, Pick-a-Pie, where you get to build your own personal pizza!" Motoki exclaimed.

Mamoru smirked. "Sounds good." He said.

Mamoru and Motoki enjoyed a lot of freedom even for highschoolers. Both were pretty much living on their own. Motoki's parents lived out in the country and spent nearly all their money sending their only son to school in the city. Motoki worked at the arcade every night to make ends meet.

Mamoru's only family was Mr. Sato, his late father's boss and the man who'd taken him in when his parents died. Mr. Sato was an affluent man, and he made sure that Mamoru had everything he needed, including his own apartment and a generous allowance. The friends took turns buying each other dinner, but Mamoru ended up paying more often than not.

They walked in silence for a while and Mamoru's mind wandered. As it often did, it went to the dream and chewed it like an old bone. _Find the Silver Crystal?_ What did it mean? He had been trying to figure it out since the first time he had the dream ten years ago. The problem remained that there were too many possibilities, and no clear answer. It could be anything from psychological trauma to prophesy or even a past life.

"Mamoru?" Motoki's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hmm?" He responded with divided attention.

"Um, about this weekend…"

"…Yes?" Grudgingly, Mamoru was drawn a bit more into the moment.

"Well, I can't make it to our study group. I have something else I need to do." Though he had a habit of making last-minute plans, Motoki was not usually so awkward about it.

"Is it a girl?" Mamoru guessed. Correctly, judging by Motoki's face.

"Yeah." His friend responded shyly.

"The one from the arcade?" Mamoru guessed again, slightly irritated.

"What?! No, Usagi's just a kid. She's from our class. Her name's Reika." He said her name with a dreamy sigh that made Mamoru gag a little. Well, at least it wasn't the bun-headed girl.

"Hmm…" Mamoru said thoughtfully, "Reika. Tall. Redhead. Class B. Top of her class, actually. Are you going to study with her instead?" Mamoru jibed.

"It's creepy how you do that." Motoki responded. "And, no. We're going to the movies."

Mamoru rolled his eyes. His jokes were often lost on others. "The scary one that just came out?" he asked expectantly.

"The one with the serial killer and the girl who can't die? Yeah! Did you see it?" Motoki asked.

Mamoru had, and was disappointed, but he was difficult to scare. "You'll like it." He answered. "The good guys win and all that."

"Hey! No spoilers!" Motoki exclaimed.

By that time, they had reached Pick-a-Pie.

**Grounded**

Usagi marched down the street with a pout on her face.

"Hmph. I was just about to beg Motoki for some spare quarters when that _Jerk_ showed up and dragged him away! What a… a… Jerk!" Usagi often spoke her thoughts aloud, even when no one else was around.

Angrily, she kicked an empty coffee can that was laying on the sidewalk. It crashed into the side of a recycling receptacle with a clash of noise. Usagi looked around to see if anyone was paying attention. There was an elderly woman staring at her from a second-floor balcony. She quickly scurried over and picked up the can, tossed it into the receptacle, then moved on.

"How could a sweet guy like Motoki be friends with someone like _that_? It must be out of sympathy. Yeah… A guy like that couldn't have too many friends. Motoki must be acting kind toward him out of sympathy." She giggled, "That's my Motoki!"

By that time, she had reached her home neighborhood. It was well after five o'clock. In fact, it was nearly six. She hadn't been able to play any more games, being out of cash, but she had hung out in the arcade for a while anyway. Afterward, she did some window shopping before finally taking the turn down 31st.

At least now she could tell her mother honestly that she lost her test. It slipped from her hand at some point as she ran down the parkway, crying. Usagi just hoped her mom wouldn't ask too many questions about it.

At last, she stood on her own front step. For some reason, she hesitated before reaching for the door. Suddenly, a loud crash followed by a dog barking and a cat's yowl caused her to jump and look around. She jumped again and screamed a little when she turned back and there was her mother.

Ikuko stood, arms crossed, blocking entry into the house. "Usagi." She said ominously, "You are late."

Usagi forced a smile. "Oh? How late? I forgot my watch…" Her laugh was a bit too shaky and her poker face was terrible.

Her mother's frown only deepened. "I got a call from Miss Haruna." She said.

Usagi's heart sank. "What? Why would she call you?" she asked, honestly confused.

Ikuko's temper snapped, "Because she is worried about you, Usagi! She told me that you failed another test, with your lowest score yet! Do you have any idea what this is doing to your student career? To your family?" she shouted.

Usagi's scabbed knees trembled along with her lips. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "I'm sorry…" she whined, wrapping her arms around herself. "Please, just let me in…" she felt like the whole world was watching this.

"You can come in, Usagi," her mother replied, "and go straight to your room."

"What about dinner?" Usagi couldn't help but ask, even though she was sure she knew the answer.

"You can eat when you have finished your homework." Ikuko said firmly, which did nothing to ebb the tide of tears from Usagi.

She stepped aside then and Usagi ran past her, straight up the stairs. She didn't even stop to take her shoes off.

Ikuko sighed heavily and said aloud, "Usagi, what am I to do with you?"

**Her Nightmare**

Usagi fell into bed, crying. She still had her jacket and shoes on. She laid there, face down, and dragged her plush, starry comforter over her head.

"It's so not-fair…" she sobbed. "It's not my fault I suck at English… It's so boring and I'm so -YAAAWN- sleepy all the time. It's not my fault I can't pay attention."

She yawned again. "I'm tired and hungry and my knees hurt…" She wrapped her arms around her pink, heart-shaped pillow and sobbed herself to sleep.

...

The dream started as it always did. She was dressed in a resplendent white gown, pearls around her neck and in her impossibly long silver hair. She was standing alone in a great ballroom, waiting on her beloved so they could dance.

That was where it changed.

Unlike before, he didn't come. She began to worry.

Outside she heard screams, coming closer. She could smell smoke.

Not knowing what else to do, she ran.

She searched for him as she ran. The darkened corridors seemed to go on forever. Suddenly, she emerged into a bright light and was dazzled for a moment. When she recovered her sight, she saw him down the walkway. He was fighting off fiends with a holy sword.

She ran to his side as he dispatched the last one. He took her hand and kissed it. They were going to run together, but suddenly a tall and menacing fiend appeared behind him. She tried to call out, but it was too late. The fiend drove its spear into his back.

He fell to the ground. There was so much blood, spreading all around. She screamed his name.

_Endymion!_

...

Usagi jerked awake. She didn't know what time it was or how long she had been asleep, but her stomach ached.

She sat up and realized that the pain wasn't just on the inside. There was a stinging pain just above her navel, like a sharp cut, and her shirt was sticky. Looking down, she saw a dark splotch there.

"What in the…" She lifted her shirt and saw no wound, but she bore a crescent-shaped scar that was not there before.

**The Watcher**

_Idiotic dog_. She silently muttered. _He made me give away my position_.

She looked up at the house. It was a cute, two-story townhouse with white walls and a pink tiled roof. At least, it looked pink in the pale light of night. It was a pretty nice house for downtown Tokyo. The family must be doing well.

_Pink tile? Is this really the place?_ She wondered, but the strong pulsing of the tracker against her throat told her that the candidate was there.

_It looks like the bedrooms are on the second floor_, she thought. _I can get a view from that tree_.

Nimbly, she climbed the tree and peeked into the nearest window. There was a young boy sleeping in a bed with cute cartoon animals on the covers. He had a plush doll that looked like one of them under his arm.

_Cute_, she thought, _but not the one_.

She carefully walked along the limb to get a look in the other window. There was a pair of feet with girls shoes still on them poking out from under a star-spangled comforter. _That __must be__ her. Miss Tsukino, your life is about to change so much_. She sighed with apprehension

**His Nightmare**

At Pick-a-Pie, Motoki had excitedly loaded his pizza with the maximum number of toppings. Each one after the initial two raised the price by one dollar, but Mamoru knew his friend wasn't thinking about it that way. Besides, Motoki needed all the food he could get.

Mamoru ordered his pizza with the standard two toppings, and only ate one slice. As he told Motoki, he wasn't feeling well, and had no appetite. He had a bad headache coming on. After dinner, he convinced Motoki to take his leftover pizza. It wasn't too difficult to do. He dropped Motoki off at the arcade, so he could work his shift, then headed home.

On the way home, Mamoru's headache only grew worse. By the time he arrived, his vision was blurry. The elevator ride was excruciating.

He staggered into his apartment, dropped his keys into the bowl by the door, and kicked off his shoes. He knew he needed to study, but all he wanted to do was lay down and sleep. He decided he wasn't going to get much out of studying, and headed for bed.

...

The dream started the same way as always. He was flying up, beyond the ceiling of the sky, to the castle on the moon. His princess was waiting.

But tonight was different. Something else was waiting as well.

He touched down on the alabaster walkway, but the silver light was tainted red. He looked quickly to the palace and saw that it was on fire.

He ran toward the burning building, crying out for his princess.

_Serenity!_

Suddenly, angry people blocked his way. They wanted her to die, and they would kill him for trying to save her. He hesitated only a moment. He couldn't let them hurt her, he was forced to fight them.

He drew his sword and killed them, one by one. It wasn't difficult to do, but it felt wrong somehow.

_What am I doing?_

She emerged from the burning palace. Her perfect white gown was stained with soot and blood.

_What is happening?_

He went to her, to take her into his arms, but white-hot pain shot through him. He fell to the ground, gasping for air. His blood pooled out beneath him. He could hear the princess screaming, but the sound was growing more distant.

His vision blackened. In the dark, he heard another voice.

**_Do you want to live?_**

_Yes!_

**_Then bring me the Silver Crystal!_**

**_._**..

Mamoru jolted awake, gasping for air. He felt like he couldn't catch his breath. His lungs were on fire.

He wasn't completely sure he was awake. It was dark, and he couldn't remember how he got home, or into bed.

He reached for the bedside lamp and felt something slide off of his chest as he sat up. With shaking hands, he tuned on the light, and froze. All around him on the bed were hundreds of rose petals the color of blood.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Lunch**

He was a man on a mission.

It was lunchtime at Juban High School and the courtyard was crowded as always. Navigating the living obstacle course would take swift thinking and agile moves, but he was confident in his abilities.

Nimbly, he danced around a moving gaggle of giggling girls. Like a ninja, he slithered between the shrubbery and the tree to avoid some mean meatheads looking to make a meal out of nerds like him. Quick as a squirrel, he skittered the final distance to his secret spot between the fountain and the corner of the school.

Wheezing and a little sweaty, he took a hit from his inhaler and pushed his heavy glasses up his nose. Finally, he claimed his due reward; an uninterrupted view of his goddess. From his hidden vantage, he could admire her all he wanted without threat or ridicule. How her wavy chestnut hair rippled and shone in the sunlight. How enticingly it bounced as she laughed. Oh her laugh. It was like sweet music to his ears.

He let out a sigh and coughed, then huffed his inhaler again.

"He's staring again." Usagi said flatly, interrupting Naru's laughter.

"Who? Umino?" Naru asked, looking around.

"Don't look!" Usagi hissed, "He'll come over."

"Oh!" Naru said, but she had already spotted him. She quickly averted her gaze.

"Does he think we can't see him there?" Usagi asked rhetorically.

"So sad…" Naru murmured.

"More like creepy." Usagi corrected.

"Speaking of creepy," Naru redirected, "Want to go see that new slasher movie tomorrow? I've heard it's really scary."

Usagi sighed dramatically. "I can't. I'm not allowed to leave the house except for school."

Naru made a sympathetic face. "Grounded again?"

"Yeah." Usagi replied sadly. "I'm not even allowed to walk home. I have to wait for my dad to pick me up."

"Wow Usagi, that's extreme! How long?!" Naru exclaimed.

"Until my grades improve," Usagi replied with a whine, "which might be forever!" she bawled.

"Usagi, I'm sorry…" Naru said. "Hey, how about I come over tomorrow instead and study with you? That should be okay, right?"

"Yeah!" Usagi said, instantly cheered. "Thanks Naru, you're such a great friend!"

Naru smiled and ate her lunch.

**Naru**

After school that day, Usagi and Naru parted ways at the front gate. Usagi stayed to wait for her father, Naru headed down the street toward home. Home, for Naru, was an apartment above her parents' jewelry shop. It sounded old-fashioned, but the loft was anything but. It was large, taking up the whole second floor of the building, and equipped with nearly every trendy luxury her mother could fit in.

Naru was sure that her mother would be in the shop that day. She didn't always work the floor, but she had been unusually energetic and involved in the shop's daily business lately. Then again, her mother did tend to get a little antsy when her father was out of town for a while. He had been on this most recent buying expedition for over a week now. Naru was missing him herself.

As she neared the shop, Naru noticed a growing din of voices from its direction. She looked ahead and saw a crowd of women standing on the sidewalk looking in. Puzzled, Naru quickened her pace. As she did, she realized she could hear her mother's voice over the murmur.

"Come on in, come on in! Don't be shy! No one loves the indecisive!" She was yelling.

Utterly confused, Naru pushed her way into the shop. "Mom?" she said, hesitantly because the woman standing on the stool in the middle of the shop didn't look quite like her mother. She looked more like Mayumi the meth addict; thin and pale and sweating a little. Her eyes were too wide and her teeth were showing too much.

Mayumi ignored Naru and yelled to the crowd, "Come on ladies! Show a little spirit! You won't find prices like these tomorrow!"

Several women were in the shop, crowding around the register. They were yelling at the poor cashier and each other.

"I'll take the special!"

"Hey! I got here first!"

"Wait your turn!"

"Are there any left?!"

"Mom!" Naru said, more forcefully. "What are you doing? This isn't like you…"

Mayumi finally looked down at Naru. "Mom? Oh, Naru right? Go in the back." She said dismissively, then went back to shouting. "Come on, come on! They're going fast! Get in here and grab your chance at happiness!"

"Mom! Stop it! What are you talking about?!" Some of the women who had come into the shop were staring at the two of them.

Mayumi looked down at Naru again and said in a frightening growl, "I said to go in the back."

Naru was taken aback by her mother's suddenly threatening demeanor. She was even certain that her eyes flashed red for a moment. Not knowing what was going on, but wanting to escape the scene, Naru went toward the back room of the shop. She opened the door and looked into the darkened room. There was someone in there, but she couldn't make them out. "Hello? Who are you?"

Someone grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her through the door.

**Breakfast**

Cooking was not one of Ikuko's strengths. It was not that she was bad at it, so much as she needed practice. She never had much time for cooking before.

Until four months prior, she was a legal aid for a big firm in the city. Her firm underwent a merger with a bigger firm and, just like that, her job was gone.

At that time, she sat down with her husband to examine just how bad the situation was. As it turned out, the promotions and raises he had achieved during his career made it possible for her to stay at home. In fact, if she did the housework herself, they could save a bit of money.

It sounded like a great idea at the time. She had big dreams of cooking hearty, healthy meals instead of ordering in. She had always wanted to learn to sew and she could actually have time to herself when she wanted. Four months of lackluster accomplishments and resounding disappointments later, she was starting to wonder how much longer she could do it.

She sighed in frustration as she scraped at he eggs that were stuck to the pan like glue. She had failed at frying them because of sticking, and so decided to just scramble them. Now the pan was coated in egg cement and things were starting to smell burnt.

...

Usagi had the nightmare again that night. She woke from it trembling and crying. It haunted her and kept her from going back to sleep. Every time she did start to doze, terrifying screams and images of death shocked her awake again.

By morning, she was not her usual Chipper Usagi. She was not even Pleasant Usagi. She crawled out of bed and went downstairs without bothering to dress or do her hair. She slunk up to the breakfast table and slid into her chair with the threatening posture of a feral animal.

Her little brother was there, playing Pokemon on his Gameboy. He looked over at her and said in a conspiratorial tone, "Mom's makin' eggs, Usagi. Pay ya a dollar to eat mine."

Usagi ignored him. She reached for the pitcher of orange juice that was set in the middle of the table to pour herself a glass.

Shingo, put out at being ignored, said mockingly, "What makes you think you even get breakfast, _Ew_-soggie? Last I heard, you're grounded for the rest of your life."

Shingo must have thought his insulting nickname for her was the funniest thing he would ever say, because he trotted it out anytime he wanted to rile her.

"Shut up, Shingo! I'm in no mood!" Usagi snapped.

Ikuko emerged from the kitchen, spatula in one hand, egg-scorched pan in the other. "Both of you be quiet," she ordered, "or you'll both miss breakfast." With that, she proceeded to scrape and chisel the overcooked eggs out of the pan onto a pair of plates which already bore matching slices of toast.

She placed the plates in front of her children with a smile on the outside. Inwardly, she felt bad for them. Secretly, she planned on eating a doughnut when she went shopping later.

Her son looked at the offering for a moment, then turned to her with a shining smile and said, "Hey, they're not runny! Thanks mom!" He must have thought he was being supportive. Ikuko wanted to cry. She turned her back for a moment to collect herself, then went to her seat at the end of the table.

Shingo shoveled the eggs onto the toast and dug in without hesitation. He said, "Hey mom, can I go play with my friends at the park?"

Ikuko smiled at him over her coffee cup and asked, "Did you finish your homework?"

"Yeah." her son responded quickly.

"Good," she said, her smile widening because she knew he was lying. "Let me check it, and you can go."

He looked down and said, "Oh, okay. I think I might have some I didn't finish. I guess I'll do it real quick."

"Okay." She responded. "Go ahead and get your books when you're finished eating."

Usagi spoke up, "Mom? Naru was going to come over and study with me, is that okay?"

Ikuko looked doubtful. "Hmm… I don't know, Usagi. You are grounded."

"I know," Usagi said, trying not to sound too sullen. "But we'd be dong homework." she plied.

Her mother sighed. "Okay, but you'll bring your books and do it here at the table."

"Okay…" Usagi agreed reluctantly.

But Naru never came.

**Umino**

Usagi must have called Naru's phone a hundred times over the weekend, without any response.

All day Saturday, she was terribly worried. All day Sunday, she was terribly upset. On both days, she was so distracted that she finished all of her homework, cleaned her room, folded and put away all of the laundry, and took out the trash. All without complaint. Usagi's mother was so pleased with her, she gave her some allowance money and restored her right to walk to and from the school again. Usagi was so angry with Naru, she wasn't as grateful as she should have been.

Sunday night was yet another night of terror for Usagi. Regardless, she was up and out the door so early, she left before even her father. She marched to the school, all hot to tell her ex-friend just how angry she was with her.

Usagi was not used to being at the school so early. She didn't know where to find Naru and, though she looked around for her, she couldn't find her by the time class was to start. At the tolling of the bell, Usagi went to the classroom, thinking that Naru would at least be there and she could confront her then, but Naru wasn't there.

As class commenced, Miss Haruna called the roll. She paused on Naru's name and several students looked toward her desk as no one answered. Naru was almost never absent. Usagi was worried all over again.

At lunch time, Usagi went to her usual spot on the garden wall near the fountain. She sat down, realizing that she had forgotten her lunch in her haste to get there early. How ironic, she usually forgot it because she was running late. She sighed, worry and hunger chewing on her stomach.

She felt eyes on her and looked up to meet the bug-eyed gaze of Umino. He was crouched like a pimply toad next to the fountain and looking directly at her. Umino had been in her class since grade school. They had been chummy in middle school, until he developed an embarrassing crush on her and things got awkward. He started following her around, taking odd photos of her and her friends. The other students had called him the Usagi Otaku.

Over the summer between middle and high school, Umino's obsession with Usagi seemed to wane. Her guess was that he must have found someone else to stalk. But high school came and he was back at it. The only difference was that Naru wasn't plying her to be nice and date him anymore, for which Usagi was grateful.

Usagi realized with embarrassment that she was also staring, but at Umino's uneaten lunch. She came to a conflict of morals as she contemplated inviting him over just so she could try to get him to share.

Umino must have sensed an invitation in her stare, because he hopped to his feet and came over. "Hey, Usagi." He croaked in his squeaky voice as he sat down next to her. He opened his bento box, revealing a neatly arranged and yummy-looking lunch. He took out a perfectly formed sticky rice ball and shoved it into his mouth. "Where's Naru?" he asked casually while he chewed. "Is she sick?"

Usagi was mesmerized by delectable looking food in the box and absently answered, "Um, I guess so?" while she tried not to drool.

"Oh." He answered, now taking a bite out of a miniature hot dog. "Are you going to go see her after school?" he asked with mild interest.

Usagi swallowed and her stomach growled audibly, but Umino's question gave her pause. Her mother had been clear that the terms of her release from grounding included that she should walk straight home without dallying, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something more was going on with Naru than just a cold. She decided. She had no choice. She would go to Naru's apartment after school.

In response to Umino, she said, "Yeah, why?"

He popped the second half of a cucumber sandwich into his mouth and said, "Just wondering." The only thing left in the lunchbox was a hot pickled pepper. Usagi couldn't tear her eyes away from it.

Umino said, "Tell her I said 'Hi'." He picked up the pepper, bit it off the stem, and walked away, crunching.

**Second Encounter**

Mamoru plodded down the sidewalk in a haze. His thoughts were fuzzy and his head was aching. Fear had prevented him from sleeping ever since the morning he woke up covered in rose petals and he was no longer sure exactly how long that had been. The line between waking and dreaming was becoming blurred.

He wasn't sure what made him leave his apartment and go to the Juban shopping district, other than an attempt to drive out the echoes of that terrible voice intoning "_Bring me the Silver Crystal!_"

A shudder ran through him, leaving behind goosebumps. He felt a little paranoid, as though he was being watched. He stopped walking and looked around.

He was standing outside of a jewelry store. Enormous, glittery pink letters in the windows above the door spelled out the name "OSA-P". A smaller sign on the door read: "_Guaranteed to bring you love and happiness! Rare Silver Crystals on sale now!_"

"You have got to be kidding." he muttered.

Someone brushed by him saying, "Excuse me, you're blocking the way!"

Mamoru's body was moving as sluggishly as his mind. Without budging, he looked down at the girl pushing past and blurted, "Hey, it's Bun-head!"

She stopped with her hand on the door. "So rude…" she hissed under her breath. Then she spun around and stabbed her finger toward his face. "I don't have time for you right now…" she admonished, then turned just as quickly around again and pushed on the door. "It's locked!"

**Jaedite**

Kim knelt on the cold white stone of the audience chamber, waiting for the appearance of Mistress Beryl.

He had been waiting for some time already. It was the scheduled hour, wasn't it? He wanted to check his watch, but the Mistress had forbidden him to bring such technology before her. She was weird like that.

He heard footsteps approaching, but not from the direction of the throne. Kim looked up to see the General walking his way. Lee Cantana was the leader of their cult. The Mistress called him Kunzite. Kim called him a variety of names, but not where he could be heard.

Lee looked down at him and said with a smirk, "Jaedite, have you found the princess yet?"

Kim glared up at him as hard as he dared. "No. Have you?"

Lee's smug expression did not falter. "I'm a lot closer than you think" he said. It was Kim's belief that the man was only bluffing. Lee seemed to think that, because he was tall and wealthy and powerful, he was better than everyone else. It was true that he was the favored of the Mistress, but Kim knew that it was only a temporary position. Beryl was fickle, and her only loyalty was to Queen Metallia. If Kim could somehow get the Queen's favor, he could surpass Lee.

A deep, womanly voice rang out in the chamber. "Jaedite," she said, "what news of your successes on the earth?" Beryl stood on the dais in a regal posture with her garnet hair and onyx gown flowing around her, but her beauty was marred by a frown of displeasure. The presumptuous question was more condescending than confident.

Kim was aware that he held little esteem. He was only seventeen and had just recently been awakened. He had yet to accomplish anything of note. His previous offerings of life energy to Queen Metallia had been meager. Peddling his dark crystals on the sidewalk had gained him poor results. However, his new scheme was raking in a wealth of energy and Beryl was sure to be impressed.

"Mistress Beryl," he began with a salute, "I have come with an offering for our Queen."

Beryl's frown only darkened. Kim felt a stab of fear, then realized she was frowning at Lee who was not kneeling. Arrogant jackass. Kim couldn't understand how he remained the favorite.

Lee said, "I too have come with an offering, my Mistress." Kim wanted to knock that cocky smirk off of his face.

Beryl's face softened, almost to a smile. "I will receive it later" she replied mysteriously. Then she turned her attention back to Kim. "Jaedite, your offering?"

Kim, still kneeling, lifted his head and snapped his fingers. "Morga!" he commanded. The stone next to him softened to the texture of sand, and a creature emerged. Her form was lean and wizened, like a mummy without wrappings. Lee's derisive snort was loudly audible in the echoing chamber. Kim gritted his teeth against a wave of rage. Morga was the only monster that would serve him with his weak powers, but it wouldn't be that way for much longer.

Morga knelt next to Kim, as she emerged fully from the floor, burdened with a brightly glowing orb the size of a bowling ball. Kim couldn't help a smirk of his own. His previous offerings had been like dimly lit golf balls. He cast a glance at Lee to mark his reaction. The General was staring off into space, not paying attention at all. Kim's fists clenched.

Beryl said, "Have you made any progress in locating the princess or the Silver Crystal?" She didn't comment on the offering at all.

Kim's voice was strained to the point of breaking when he replied, "No, Madame."

Beryl's eyes flashed with intolerance. "You will focus your efforts." she growled.

Kim put all his strength into restraining himself. "Yes, Madame."

...

Kim stepped through the portal into the basement of OSA-P with Morga in tow. The portal quickly evaporated behind them as he stomped over to a trashcan and kicked it violently. It crashed into the wall, scattering its miscellaneous contents which he then annihilated with tiny fireballs.

Morga watched his tantrum in silence. When it seemed he had control of himself she asked in her raspy voice, "Master Jaedite, what is our plan for locating the Silver Crystal?"

It was all Kim could do not to snap at her. He didn't have one. He had put all of his time and effort into this energy harvesting scheme.

Kim looked around at the comatose women on the floor, having their life energy sapped by the dark crystals around their necks. With his powers of hypnosis, it had been easy to talk them into buying his tainted "silver crystals". He used hypnotic commands to convince them to put the jewelry on, not take it off, and return to the shop when they started to feel weak. Once he harvested enough energy from them, he took the jewel back and used hypnosis again to make sure they went home oblivious to what happened.

"Master Jaedite?" Morga rasped, irritated at being ignored.

Kim chewed on his thumbnail as he thought. Hypnosis was clearly his strongest power. How could he leverage it to find the Silver Crystal?

"Jaedite?" Morga repeated. He could not help but notice she dropped the honorific. He knew he should reprimand her for that, but he had to tread carefully. If Morga attacked him, she would easily defeat him.

"Just a moment, Morga. I'm thinking." he said, in what he thought was a firm but polite tone. Then he mused aloud, "The princess has the Silver Crystal, right? What we really need to do is to find her…"

Morga offered a suggestion, "Perhaps we can ask Master Nephrite to perform a divination?"

Kim's thumbnail was already short from his habit, but he nearly bit it off with that. There was no way he was going to go to that weirdo.

But it gave him an idea.

"Reopen the shop in the morning, Morga. Continue gathering energy for The Great Ruler. I will return tomorrow evening." Kim gave his orders and headed up the stairs.

Behind him, Morga saluted him with her hand over her left breast and said, "Yes, master." in a subservient tone. However, if Kim had been looking, he would have seen the red flash in her eyes that betrayed her true feelings.

...

Outside the Jewelry store, Usagi was standing with her face pressed to the tinted glass door of the shop, trying to see if anyone was inside.

"They're closed, Bunhead. Come back later." Mamoru was saying in a bored tone, even though he wanted to know what was going on in there as well.

"Shut up, Mister Blue Jeans." Usagi snapped without turning around. "I said I don't have time for you right now."

"'Mister Blue Jeans'?" he echoed, incredulous. "Try harder, Bunhead."

"Look!" She spun around this time to face him and yelled, "This is serious, okay?! My friend is in there, I think, and she needs help, I think."

"You think so?" He mocked. Then he noticed someone on the other side of the door behind her. "Someone's coming out." He said, trying not to show how his heart was suddenly racing.

"Get lost!" She screamed, then said, "Wait, what?" and turned back around. The door was indeed opening and a blonde guy who looked to be about her age was stepping out.

He made a start when he emerged, as if he hadn't seen them through the door.

"Who are you?" Usagi demanded, "And what's going on in there?"

The young man said, "Nothing is going on. The store is closed. Please come by later." and turned to lock the door behind himself.

Usagi watched him do so and walk away without comment, but with suspicion on her face. She turned to look at Mamoru who shrugged and said, "Well, see you later, Bunhead." and walked off as well.

She turned slowly around to look at OSA-P and said, "I have to get in there somehow…"


End file.
